


Dreaming in Reality

by Faillen



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Deployment, Fluff, He gets it, M/M, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, a bit of angst, post-MIT era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2016-10-13
Packaged: 2018-08-22 07:19:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8277470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faillen/pseuds/Faillen
Summary: He’s sitting on Rhodey’s bed and he realizes with sudden clarity that this is it. They’re adults. They go off to war, they help build weapons—they aren’t kids any more, they aren’t dreaming about revolutionizing technology or serving their  country—they’re living those dreams.





	

**Author's Note:**

> It's short, but I found this little blurb at the beginning of another story I wrote. I had decided to omit it from that one, but I realized it worked as a stand alone :)

Tony is 18, and it’s two hours before they have to drive Rhodey to the airport. He's sitting on Rhodey’s childhood bed, in his childhood room, with the rest of the Rhodes family downstairs, watching as Rhodey flits across various corners in the room, arranging objects and making sure he has everything he needs. Tony’s sitting on Rhodey’s bed, all the way in Philly, because Rhodey convinced Tony (with the very ease that Tony can convince Rhodey) to come and see him off.

He’s sitting on Rhodey’s bed and he realizes with sudden clarity that this is it. They’re adults. They go off to war, they help build weapons—they aren’t kids any more, they aren’t dreaming about revolutionizing technology or serving their country—they’re  _ living  _ those dreams.

It’s terrifying.

James, Jim, Rhodey,  _ his  _ Rhodey, is going off to war with a Stark weapon that Tony might’ve designed in his hand, going off to war in a land of desert and heat and the rat-tat of gunfire and Tony is terrified. Terrified that Rhodey will come back changed, that he’ll come back hurt, that, that…

That he won’t come back  _ at all _ . 

Tony lets out a choked noise without meaning to, and Rhodey looks up from where he’s trying to prop up all the books in his bookshelf. “Tony?” His brows furrow with concern, and Tony wishes that he could ask Rhodey to stay and that Rhodey would be able to stay.

He feels the tears well up in his eyes, and Rhodey can see them too—he kneels down in front of Tony, putting his hands on Tony’s knees and leaning forward. “Hey, Tones, it’s okay.”

And Tony shakes his head slightly and takes a shuddering breath, looking at this boy, this  _ man  _ in front of him. This man with his brown eyes and crooked smile, this man that never asked for anything—but still managed to get Tony to give him everything anyway, and he makes a decision.

Tony leans forward, muttering a quick apology and something like a prayer under his breath, and kisses him.

Tony is 18, and Rhodey is 20, and they aren’t thinking about ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’, or desert sands, or guns in faraway places. Tony is 18 and he is kissing the boy,  _ the man ,  _ he knows with certainity is the love of his life, and they’re whispering promises of ‘after’ and ‘come back soon’ and ‘gonna miss you’ to each other, and suddenly, they have more dreams.

And if the dreams from before became reality, why wouldn’t these as well?


End file.
